Mountain Ultra-Trail by UTMB in South Africa has reached its highest athlete total of the event’s last three editions. The ultra running event, which returns to George, South Africa, from May 29–31, 2026, has confirmed that five race distances are now officially sold out.
The MUT 100, MUT 60, MUT Marathon, MUT Challenge, and MUT Lite have reached capacity as the event team prepares to welcome more than 2,300 athletes across elite and amateur fields.
Mountain Ultra-Trail by UTMB is set in the Outeniqua Mountains on South Africa’s east coast. The course takes in indigenous forests and fynbos (natural shrubland) ridgelines with views towards the Indian Ocean and the Karoo (the semidesert natural region of South Africa).
The MUT by UTMB event team noted that athlete totals have climbed by 26.4% from 2024 to 2026… ‘pointing to an event that continues to grow in both scale and depth across the race calendar.’
As the only African event in the UTMB World Series, the race serves as a platform for South Africa’s trail running community on an international stage. South African athletes make up the core of the field with 1,881 runners confirmed. The event also draws international participants from markets such as the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Spain, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Carmen Schmahl, Race Director, said “To see the 2026 edition reach a new participation high, with such a strong mix of first-time athletes and returning runners, is a really encouraging sign for MUT by UTMB. To have five races sold out in record time only adds to that momentum. It reflects not only the quality of the race, but also the challenge of the courses and the appeal of the Outeniqua Mountains as a destination.”
The UTMB World Series was launched in May 2021 through a partnership between UTMB Group and The IRONMAN Group. It provides a circuit of events across Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, serving as the qualifying path for the UTMB World Series Finals at UTMB Mont-Blanc in France.
